Hello Dr. Im a mom of a 15 yr old teen. I have an issue that I don’t know how to resolve. When ever we have something planned as a family gathering and is not something she wants to do at that moment she decided she doesn’t want to go and doesn’t get ready and [...]

I am thrilled to be part of Your Teen Magazine’s new rotation panel of experts (their words!) on their website. This month I am over there answering the question: How to handle parental peer pressure when you’re more strict than the parents of your children’s friends? I hope you’ll come on over!

My 7 year old boy has started to “self punish” the extreme. When I send him to his room for a few minutes for example for continually not listening, he ends up saying staying there and not coming out because “He’s bad; He deserves to never come out again…” We have the same issue with [...]

Dr. G.  My 8 year old daughter needs to take an allergy pill. She hates the taste of the liquid form and she is completely freaked out. The pill is not that big, and I don’t think it should be a big deal, but I can’t MAKE her swallow it. What should we do? John, [...]

I’m over at Ooph today – an amazing website for parents of tweens and teens (be sure to check out her great suggestions on what to talk about with your kids at dinner), answering a skeptical mom’s questions about the HPV shot. I hope you’ll come over and drop off your thoughts on the subject!

We agreed to carpool with another family, but now realize their car is not safe. What should we do? Anonymous, in CA Why is this such a great question? Even though this specific situation may not happen often, it demonstrates a really common problem faced by parents. What should we do if we agree to [...]

My 12 y.o. daughter refuses to eat breakfast. She says she’s not hungry, but I keep telling her breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I need suggestions. Help! Kim, in PA     So… you’re both right. Breakfast is important, but she is genuinely not hungry. Her brain chemicals are changing with [...]

What do you do when your child stays up way past his bedtime…reading? (I know, seriously?!?) Dana, in PA Aw, come on! Reading? Not texting or on the computer or sneaking out of the house? No, I get it. I have one like that. Before we left on a big trip he couldn’t find his [...]

I have a concern about my husband – he was super smart when he was little.  My 10-year old son is average/poor student to my husband and I think my son is pretty smart.  He exceeds expectations in math and meets expectations in reading and writing.  All teachers like my son.  Like any parent, my [...]

Doc G – If my kids want limits & rules & boundaries, how come when i impose them they hope i die? Youngest son (10) can be very defiant in the face of rules. Hard to know what to do. Thank you! Eric, on Twitter Some kids really chafe at being told what to do! [...]

I am really pleased to be over on The Slop Swap today, a great blog about saving. I’m writing about teaching kids to save money, and I hope you’ll stop by!

Hey Dr. G I’ve got a topic for you… making kids “clean their plate.” Growing up I was always told to finish all of my dinner. This lesson has stuck to me so well that I’ll eat past the point of being full rather than waste food. Now that I’m a parent I find myself [...]

I really believe kids should do chores. My son (age 9) is pretty good about doing what he’s asked. My 7 year old daughter, however, does not often get her chores done. I’m struggling with ways to motivate her. She doesn’t care much about consequences – no matter what I take away it doesn’t seem [...]

I got a little fired up about the petulant and lukewarm “apology” that hit the media this weekend. Here is my very simple guide to apologies over on Huffington Post.

Today I am thrilled to be featured on Future Fortified. They are a non-profit dedicated to improving nutrition for pregnant women and children around the world. They asked me how to get parents thinking about global nutrition while we are thinking about feeding our own kids. I hope you’ll come over and see my idea [...]

“Stop fighting! Be gentle! Play nice!” Are we doing society (and our children) a favor with this mentality? Maybe not! Come see why I say so over at Huffington Post this week.

Hey Dr. G, I am sending my 10-year-old son to sleep away camp for the first time this summer. I trust that the camp is a safe place with responsible people. At the same time, it is the first time that he will be out of my care, and I feel that I should talk [...]

How can I best protect my child athlete from staph infection? Dave, in PA In a word? Wash. Here is a quick overview of “staph” infections. There are a lot of staphylococcus bacteria, but the one you’re asking about is CA-MRSA. That is community acquired Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. More than half of MRSA is [...]

This week on Huffington Post, I’m talking about how watching professional athletes beat the tar out of each other can actually make for some great parenting moments.  I hope you’ll check it out!

Parents out to dinner will often talk about “The Talk.” “Have you had The Talk yet? How old was she? What did you say?” Can you make your spouse do it and avoid the whole thing? What should you tell your child about _______? The blank could be drugs, drinking, divorce, death, or “doing it” [...]